Butte College Study Abroad

Whether it's Italy, Costa Rica or Ireland, Butte College students are traveling the world through the Study Abroad program.

Students participating in a Study Abroad program earn academic general education credits in courses ranging from foreign language to English to anthropology which often assist them in future academic endeavors.

"Study Abroad programs range in length from two weeks to a full semester during which the students earn academic credit," says David Cooper, Butte College Study Abroad Coordinator.

"Students fully immerse themselves in other cultures and participate in experiences they will remember for a lifetime."

Cooper states that four-year schools often look for international experience and the general education credits students earn in the program meet some of the requirements for multi-cultural competencies.

ItalyButte College has partnered with the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium to offer students a full spring semester study program in Florence, Italy. The consortium includes community colleges in or around the Bay Area. "By partnering with the consortium, students receive a variety of general education classes with up to three or four instructors," says Cooper.

Studying in Florence, Italy offers an unparalleled opportunity for students to study art, history, and literature while exploring a wealth of museums, churches, and cultures in the city where the rebirth of creativity began five centuries ago. Courses will be taught by faculty from the NCSAC campuses.

Housing includes a shared room in an apartment in the historical center of Florence. Four students normally share a two-bedroom apartment with cooking facilities.

For students to take advantage of the immense cultural riches of this beautiful city, the staff will advise them on how to get the information they need and make selections; arrange group visits and excursions to places of interests in and around Florence to reinforce the academic program. One or more events may be planned each week and either are subsidized by or included in the program fee. Typical activities may include English/Italian language exchange of conversation with Italians; a demonstration of Florentine cooking; a visit to Siena and San Gimignano; art exhibits and concerts, visits to museums including the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace; a visit to Michelangelo's David and sporting events.

The application deadline for the Spring semester Study Abroad program in Florence is Nov. 5, 2008.

Costa RicaA six-week Spring trip to Costa Rica, Jan. 25 - March 9, 2009, promises to immerse students in the culture, language and natural wonders of this Central American country.

This Study Abroad program integrates Spanish immersion and Peace and Global Studies into one enriching program. Students will spend two weeks with host families in Monteverde while studying at the Centro Panamericano de Idiomas language school. Then it's off to Flor de Paraiso, an ecological farm-school located in a beautiful natural setting above the Orosi valley near Paraíso. During their two-week stay at the school, students will participate in work programs learning about organic farming, reforestation and environmental issues.

The farm stay will be followed by five days in the Durika Biological Reserve's sustainable community and then five days in Hacienda Baru National Wildlife Refuge on the Southern Pacific coast.

For the final six days of the program, students will be in Grecia, Alajuela where they will finish projects and presentations and visits the University of Peace, La Paz Waterfall Gardens and the Poás Volcano.

IrelandFor the very first time, the Butte College Study Abroad Program is sponsoring a 14-day journey to Ireland, June 11 -24, 2009. Students will travel to historical and cultural points of interest including Shannon, Bunratty Castle, Galway, Clifden, Connemara National Park, Dublin, Cashell Rock, Cork, Kinsale, Iveragh Peninsula, Dingle Peninsula and the Aran Island of Inishmore, among others.

This excursion is packed full of wonderful adventures to 16th century castles; the home of William Butler Yeats; walking tours through some of the countries oldest and most incredible cities as well as national parks; visits to historic museums, monasteries, abbeys and churches including St. Nicholas Church where Christopher Columbus is purported to have worshipped; a day celebrating at Bloomstime, a festival touted as "second only to St. Patrick's Day;" a visit to the mystical Hill of Tara, the spiritual center of Celtic Ireland and the seat of the High Kings; the opportunity to attend a performance at the famous Abbey Theatre; and a tour of Blarney Castle where the daring may kiss the Blarney Stone plus much, much more.

Participants will stay in three-star and four-star hotels and will travel by motor coach through the Ireland country side. The program cost includes roundtrip airfare, breakfast and dinners each day, and fees to nearly every excursion.

The application deadline for the Ireland Study Abroad program is February, 2009 and financial aid may be available.

Applications and more information about Study Abroad programs, including class enrollment requirements, are available at the Butte College Learning Resource Center (LRC) Room 320, email cooperda@butte.edu, or call 530/895-2415.